Why do mosquitoes bite some people more than others?
- asks Allison from Austin
Every summer, they come. They sneak through the windows and ravage your ankles; they find the one spot on your left shoulder that didn’t get drenched in a layer of DEET (God bless you, Deep Woods Off!) and gnaw, chomp, and suck away.
From May to September, many of us – covered in scars and bloody scabs, the remnants of these bites now gone bad – live side-by-side with people who, despite living in the same house and even sleeping in the same bed, are seemingly less vulnerable to the vicious six-legged predators. It turns out, a mosquito’s snacking preference for one person over another is not just a curious annoyance, it’s also a medical concern: Since malaria and other diseases are transmitted by bites, people who get bitten a lot are more likely to become ill. Because of this, researchers are working to find the mechanisms in mosquitoes that cause them to sniff out you, and not your neighbor.
Scientists have identified several proteins found in mosquitoes’ antennae and heads that latch on to chemical markers, or odorants, emitted from our skin. These markers are produced by the natural processes of our bodies and, like neon signs, they let the mosquitoes’ smell center know you’re around (though the process that then guides them to you is not well understood). Flies and mosquitoes share a number of the same genes that dictate production of these odorant-binding proteins, which have specific sites that will catch or bind with certain chemicals in the air. Some scientists suggest that certain characteristics attract mosquitoes, thereby leading us to have more bites than others. Some of the top candidates: the amount of carbon dioxide in the breath, pregnancy, body temperature, alcohol and odorant markers based on blood type.
Blood-type markers are chemicals released by people of a specific blood type – so if someone with AB blood emitted a marker, it would be different than that released by B. One study found persons with Type O blood suffered more mosquito landings because of the odorant markers they emit than any other blood type, making their juices a hot commodity for blood banks, as well as Asian Tiger Mosquitoes, which carry West Nile Virus. Not only were Type O’s more likely to be landed on, but the study found that for any blood type, people who secreted a chemical marker about their blood type through their skin (both blood type and secretor status are determined by genes) were bitten much more than non-secretors; 24 percent in the case of the Type O’s. Other researchers estimate about 15 percent of the population, based on their genes, don’t emit chemical markers of their blood type through their skin and saliva, so something else has to be calling the mosquitoes to them.
Pregnancy seems to be a big winner for mosquito attraction, probably because mothers-to-be exhale 21 percent more carbon dioxide (quite a turn-on to the six-legged species) and are on average 1.26 degrees Fahrenheit warmer around the belly than their non-pregnant counterparts, due to the temperature of amniotic fluid. Also, having just 12 ounces of beer increases your mosquito appeal, possibly because of the increase in body temperature it causes or because skin markers change when metabolizing cocktails – unfortunate since outdoor drinking is a highlight of summer anywhere.
One researcher suggested smell is unimportant, and what really matters to the mosquito currently chomping on your toe is not the smells you’re giving off, rather it’s finishing her meal without being swatted away. Because of this, she’s better off attacking “less defensive” animals, rather than more defensive, and so is evolutionarily predisposed to biting lazy or incapacitated prey (reference drinking above).
Infectious disease experts are anxious to solve the mosquito preference puzzle so they can design repellants tailored to vulnerable people, which would either block an individual’s smell signatures or disarm a mosquito’s scent receptors. Unfortunately, a specific answer to your skin-piercing question continues to itch away at scientists, and I suggest stocking up on bug repellant in the meantime.
thank you for the article.now i can answer to some dumb people when they say i get bit by mosquitoes because of my body smell.i get so agravated!!!
ana, May 26, 2008 at 12:17 amI just absolutely KNEW that frequency of bites had to do with blood type. I am type O and am ALWAYS getting eaten alive by mosquitos! Many of my friends that are type A NEVER get bitten, even when a mosquito lands on them!
Jessica, July 17, 2008 at 6:49 pmErm… I’m an O and I never get bitten!!
Ritu, July 20, 2008 at 9:57 amMy blood type is a+ and I am always getting bitten. I think it’s because I am so sweet. LOL
paula, July 21, 2008 at 1:24 amI have a real problem with mosquitoes biting at my bag, is it possible my bag emits an odor that attracts mosquitoes?
LOL this thread is messed. Mosquitoes bite people to live and feed their young, the numbers mean nothing and I would have to go with the chaos theory, in that someone has to be bit more than another and someone has to be bit less, otherwise the world would explode without randomness, or chaos.
Wanna learn something that pertains to everything, check out chaos theory. Stats are pointless.
Mike, July 23, 2008 at 9:17 pmInteresting, but my family totally blows the blood type theory. I have a daughter who is B+ who absolutely gets eaten alive and one who is A+ with a pretty strong attreaction. The rest of us who are A+ and O+ use the first two as our repellent.
Liza, July 24, 2008 at 9:46 pmLast year i went on holiday, my brother aged 10 and my son aged 4 shared the same room my brother got bitten loads with repellent on and yet my son didn’t get one bite we used repellent on him the first couple of days, but after that he didn’t have any on as they didn’t seem to like him and he still didn’t get bitten. Im just intriged to know why???
kelly, August 1, 2008 at 5:23 amAlways knew it must be linked to blood type, not sure on the O type though, Im A- and always get bitten alive while no-one else does!!???
Karen, August 1, 2008 at 12:55 pmThank you for this article. now i have an answer to why mosquitoes bite me all the time instead of the other people in the same room as me. it’s only because of my rich thick blood type! and because of bodyly secretions that i give off. and my smell, and a whole lot of other things. thanks!
Lexi, August 6, 2008 at 12:23 pmhow about this…when i get bit by mosquitoes, which not only seems to be more than everyone i know, i get bitten in quick clusters. i don’t just get one generic bite here and there. i will get bit in repeated succession in a big cluster of sometimes four or five bites in a small area. no matter where i go, this holds true.
Angel, August 8, 2008 at 3:55 ami am type O and i never get bit. i don’t think i’m buying the blood type theory. there are posts here of people all over the blood type spectrum and their experiences are just as widely ranged.
renae, August 18, 2008 at 2:29 pmOMGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Katoni, August 31, 2008 at 12:48 amI GET BITTEN BY mosquito all the time, and i have no idea what my blood type is.
I am type O and get eaten alive even with repellant on. I also have a blood disease called ITP, and I wonder if they like me because my blood does not clot normally.
Susan, September 2, 2008 at 11:00 amInteresting…but the photo above the article is not that of a mosquito but a (harmless) crane fly. it would be hard to bite someone, regardless of blood type, without a nice long proboscis (nasty bitey part).
SH, September 6, 2008 at 1:31 pmI am blood type B+ and have been attacked by mosquitoes continuously all of my 70 plus years. I have applied many different types of repellants but as of yet have not found one that works well. I have attracted them in the American continent all areas and also in Asia. I am resigned to being bit as there isn’t much I can do about it, hopefully sience will discover the reason and develope a repellant.
Bill Clark, September 15, 2008 at 10:55 amThis information I just read is right. I have never been bitten by mosquitoes But now i have been drinking a couple of beers in the afternoon and I go out and i get bitten within minutes at least in four different places uncles ,elbows and ,knees .When I drank red wine it never happen
Tony Radman, September 17, 2008 at 1:43 pmI am AB+ blood type and Im bitten by mosquitos ALL THE TIME! Im just so sick of it!! Even the repellants dont help me! Its terrible.
Ady, September 17, 2008 at 10:11 pmHowever, besides the blood type, the article states that the body warmth and alcohoc composition are also factors of attraction! :(
Thank you for the article!
blood type? what about body temperature? I have a normal body temporature of 96.3sih rather then 98.6 and i never seem to get bit. might not this be the major factor? warmer people get bit and cooler people don’t….Possible?
Galen, September 25, 2008 at 8:58 pmOne thing the article mentioned is that not everyone emits the scent of their blood type. Which would explain why some people with a certain blood type get bitten and some don’t – they don’t excrete the scent.
I get bitten constantly. My mom does too. On a recent vacation to a lake house I was outside just as frequently as 2 friends and my husband (who threatened to put me in a bubble!) – we all drank the same amount, wore bug spray, and were even using the same shampoo and soap. I went in every night covered in bites, while everyone else was untouched; including, luckily, my son.
It is obnoxious. We just killed one in the house – it bit me 5 times before we could get it. Grrr…
Body temp is interesting – I have a low body temperature of around 96.7, and I don’t remember bites being much of a problem when I was pregnant.
Thanks for the article!
Audrey, September 29, 2008 at 9:45 pmI live in a hot country and being constantly bitten is getting me down quite a lot.
Andrea, October 7, 2008 at 8:00 amI now wear repellent every day and carry it with me. When i arrived 3 months ago i ended up scratching so much that the bumps and itching came up all over my arms and legs and stomach. It seemed like an allergic reaction to the bites but the doctor didn’t seem sure what had caused it. She said it was a food allergy or an allergic reaction to the bites. I think it was the latter.
I have A type blood so that blood theory seems a bit off to me. My partner doesn’t get bitten very often, just now and then. Also my daughter gets quite a lot but not my son. Is it the female hormones that maybe attract them more or what?? The biggest annoyance is that i’ve been wearing trousers lately and get bitten on my legs so how the heck are they getting up my legs. I despise mosquitos. Why can’t they become extinct??
I’m type O and used to get bitten a lot. Now that i’m older, i don’t get bitten as much. As it’s stated, 15 percent don’t emit the blood marker. But from what i’ve learnt, mosquitos are attracted to CO2 as well. So people that never get bit either don’t emit much CO2 or a blood marker or are move enough to keep them off.
Dark, October 8, 2008 at 2:14 amIt states that type O are bitten more, but that could be the marker is more familiar as there’s more O around and is the oldest type.
People that aren’t O but get bitten a lot, it could be you give off more CO2, emitted a higher blood marker or just really unlucky. I think i get bitten less because i weigh a lot more and my diet’s changed.
My wife and myself plus my sister in law and her husband have just returned from playa del carmen in Mexico. My wife and her sister are twins and have the same blood group as myself (A+). I have over 40 bites and my sister in law in excess of 30, my wife had NONE and my BIL 3 which were barely noticeable. In terms of alcohol my BIL drinks more than all of us and is blood group (O).
I can’t comment on carbon dioxide levels but an certainly say neither my wife or SIl are pregnant … in short i’m none teh wiser just very itchy
Mike, October 14, 2008 at 2:47 pmI live in Thailand and am relatively unaffected by mosquitoes – I notice though that most of my friends who are, take ineffective precautions. They claim all sorts of reasons and then go out in the evening in short sleeved shirts and no socks.
wilko, October 19, 2008 at 9:37 pmThey become obsessed with ridding a room of mosquitoes and then sleep without bedsheets……
odorant marker emmited from the blood type..interesting..i always wondering why my mother’s always gets bitten instead of my father.. my mom always says that she has a sweeter blood than my father cause she’s the only one gets bitten.. but based on temperature it’s kind of opposite cause my father’s body temperature is higher than my mother ..
ojyou, November 17, 2008 at 8:46 amI am blood type AB+ and prior to having a kidney transplant didn’t have any major issues with mosquitoes. Since the transplant and the immunosuppresion medication i take, I now have a huge problem with being bitten and also how much they itch. The itching becomes almost unbearable and as someone else commented I now get bitten in clusters of about 5 or 6 bites at a time. It would appear that mosquitoes are definitely attracted/deterred by different odors, otherwise repellents wouldn’t work. I know that since the transplant I have had some hormonal changes so I’m guessing their attraction to some and not others could be to do with hormone’s and their affect on our bodies
Dianne, December 3, 2008 at 4:06 ammy experience is different then anyone else!!!
infrared radiation of body is more likely. I don’t know if you noticed but they bite rite on the veins. closer the surface. sounds more logical as well. other reason they fly closer to ear lopes at night. one more observation is they use ear drum as speaker and radar they bounce their wing noise find their way like bats.
anyone to test these?
haluk yildirim, December 9, 2008 at 5:07 pmlet me know. email haluk@bosspacific.com.au
I have a+ blood so does my son. I never get bitten, my son gets covered from head to toe in bites and where there are no bites there are scars from last years bites, he is constantly uncomfortable and itchy. I completely disagree with the blood type theory. I agree with the explanation that we are all bitten, but only some of us react negatively. I beleive those that are already predispositioned to things like asthma eczma and allergies are more prone to have an overeactive immune system that may cause these small bites to become irritated.
serina cole, February 4, 2009 at 12:57 amOver the last two nights my partner and I have been unidated with the pesty Mozzies, my partner who is A blood type has been bited 13 times in the last two nights and I being O+ have no had not one single bite. So that blows the theory about blood group O is bited often than other’s?
Melissa, February 10, 2009 at 10:38 pmSo, what are scientists waiting for to find out
JD, February 16, 2009 at 6:52 amwhat the mysterious secreted scent is that attracts
these nuisance bugs?
This isn’t rocket science!
I think this is all very interesting – because my personal experiences are the opposite to the article. I am 30 and British and now live in South China where mosquitos are rife. I am O- blood type, I drink alcohol, and eat cheese…but I never get bitten (touch wood). My poor Chinese girlfriend on the other hand is A+, doesn’t drink alcohol or eat cheese but gets bitten all the time – to the point she is left with swellings and bruises. More research is required here I think. And yes, you would think this would be straight forward enough for scientists…
JEP, March 22, 2009 at 1:06 amoh by the way serena, my girlfriend has no other allergies or asthma etc but still gets bad seriously bad reactions to the bites…
JEP, March 22, 2009 at 1:10 amMmmm…. I don’t think it has anything to do with blood type. I am Asian with AB+ blood type and I get eaten alive!! If I am with a group of 10 people, the mosquitoes will still find me! More research is needed. I usually don’t go out after dawn….
Pinkie, April 16, 2009 at 8:57 pmSince I started to take Simvastin tablets 2 years ago to reduce cholestrol I notice that in the aerly part of the year March-may I get bitten regularly and generally have about 3 to 5 bites on the go at any one time.
Malc, April 17, 2009 at 11:53 ambefore I took these tables I rarely got bitten and generally once the damp season is over by June I am okay.
I really don’t know what to do to stop them,even when I tuck my socks into my trousers if I go out into the garden they seem to get up my trousers.
I was biten all over yesterday.
Sander, April 19, 2009 at 2:25 pmThe strange is, when I was in Asia, I was never bitten and now I’m back in Europe, the second day I had like 150 bites.
why is it mosquitoes more attracted to type O blood group people? any scientific evidence please?
ammy, April 27, 2009 at 3:56 amHi I am a 57yr old woman and as for as long as I can remember I have been been bitten by mosq. I am sitting here with numerous bites and I wasn’t outside!! We have a whole house fan and opened the windows(screens) and I got bitten!! I am type 0+ and I also have ITP.
Linda, May 2, 2009 at 10:14 amMy husband never gets bitten…I found out I am also allergic to mosq. so the itch is unbearable!! I am frustrated to say the least.
I agree with the temperature idea in this article. I have such a low body temperature I hate air conditioners. I can’t remember the last time I was bitten, though people around me seem to be magnets for mosquitoes.
Ramone, May 9, 2009 at 4:27 pmDidn’t really care til I went to the beach with my girlfriend and wanted to sleep under the stars with a comfortor and pillows in the bed of my truck. No bug spray was used because we didn’t think of it.
I got destroyed by mosquitos! I probably got bit 50-75 times and my girlfriend got bit maybe twice. While I was wrapped up like a mummy sweating, she was next to me with her leg out of the covers to cool off. She thought I was crazy til she saw the welps the next day.
we’re both A+
Daniel, May 18, 2009 at 10:56 amomg I am A+ and I get eaten alive. I just walked out the door just now and got bit six times within less than 10mins. My husband has O+ and he never get’s bit. My legs and arms look like I was stung by a bee instead of a musquito. I hate them so much.
Charlene, May 22, 2009 at 7:10 pmI’m a professional statistician and I feel a need to clear some things up.
There is a probably a correlation between having type O blood type and getting more mosquito bytes, but as I’m sure you’ve all heard, correlation does not equal causation. This is an example of confounding with odorant markers, which are associated with both the outcome (more bites) and the predictor (blood type) and differentially distributed between the levels of predictor. Though having type O blood may not in and of itself be reason for a mosquito to choose one person over another, type O blood *is* more often observed in the “secretors” that mosquitos prefer.
I’d hypothesize that in an experiment where odorant levels are controlled, the relationship between blood type and bite predisposition would vanish. However, you can say that on a population-wide level, knowing a person has type O blood makes them more likely to be a mosquito magnet, inasmuch as it makes them more likely to have the genes for giving off a mosquito-friendly scent.
topher, May 25, 2009 at 12:44 pmI am type O+ and was only outside for an hour today and got bitten 13 times. Mosquitoes just love me and it is annoying. Every year I get so many scars from these nasty blood suckers because I itch them so bad. I think it is because my blood type. Everyone I know only get bitten every once and a while and none of them have type O blood like me.
Lindy, May 26, 2009 at 12:15 amSince becoming a raw food vegan mosquitoes don’t touch me like they did in the past, has there been any studies on the correlation between mosquito biting & blood purity or cleanliness??
ChrisT, May 29, 2009 at 10:07 pmugh,as im reading this both of my feet are swelling b/c i got bit on the toes and around the house too!… does that mean im allergic???
Rosan, June 1, 2009 at 12:29 amthe last few weekends we’ve had outdoor dinners w friends. I’ve been bitten over a dozen times each night. The three others are usually not bitten at all, or may have one or two. Blood type or something else… this has been happening to me for years.
michael, June 2, 2009 at 7:31 pmHi, I get bitten all the time and very badly. Abroad or at home. The only repellent that I have found good is avon skin so fresh – woodland fresh. I have used it in USA, UAE and all over the world. So long as I am wearing it head to toe I am ok!! With out it I have been admitted to hospital as I react very badly!!! I only hope it continues to work for me!!
Heather Lavery, June 7, 2009 at 8:01 amI think that a mosquitoes only bite you when you are in the shade, if you are in the sun they can not see you beacuse you blend in with the heated suroundings.
Jo-el, June 10, 2009 at 3:48 pmI think they see heat, like in the movie preditor, he did not see Arnold as a human but as heat while in a shaded forrest but as soon as Arnold covered himself with the cool wet mud then the preditor could no longer see him.
I don’t know for sure but this is my think on how they pick you out and heat among a cool back drop says food to them.
Well, anyone notice that the insect used for the picture on this article is actually a Mayfly? I get bit a lot! can’t a gene specialist create a strain of Mosquitos that all of the sudden mutate and have no wings after several generations? Seems like beter use of gene studies, ridding the planet of Mosquitos would solve a lot of infectious diseases.
Forrest, June 11, 2009 at 1:36 pmI went to Southern Maryland last summer and I got bitten so bad. I had about 20 bites on each leg and a whole lot of random ones all over my body. I just came back from Cape May, NJ and I am bit up again. Not quite as bad but I have about 7 or so on my legs and ankles, some around my neck and ears and some other random ones. I am not sure of my blood type but I wish I knew why these things bite the hell out of me. My boyfriend was with me at both places, doesn’t even put bug spray on and only gets like 1 or 2 bites total. Here I am scratching like crazy. I don’t understand and I am honestly quite sick of these damn bugs biting me so much. I wish I knew what the reason was. I don’t wear perfume when I’m outside in the spring or summer cuz that makes it worse. I was told to swallow a matchhead before going outdoors in areas I might get bitten.
Stephanie, June 13, 2009 at 2:51 amMy husband and I can be sleeping on the same bed or be in the same vecinity as a mosquito and they never bite him: They feast on me! I jokingly tell him its my sweet blood they’re after. I have O+ blood, I’m not sure what my husband has.
Mary, June 15, 2009 at 2:09 pmAll this thing about blood group and CO2 etc is bull crap . Just read the comments and you can tell – these are not common factors among the people who get bitten.
Mosq Guru, June 26, 2009 at 3:02 pmIf you have been doing bad things, God sends mosquitos to leech you. Thats right – its a punishment plain and simple.
If not , you are spared – how difficult is that to understand ?
Long story short – do good deeds that will please God, and he will in time direct the mosquitoes to the bad guys.
I am a white make 53 years old, my sister is 1 year younger, since we were small children we have not been bothered by mosquitos, my father was also not bothered by them durnig his life. One intersting note is that all three of us have/had blood type O negetive, while my mother who had A (I think) blood was constantly being eaten up by them, this isn’t just that they don’t bother me much, I mean that they don’t bite me at all, maybe twice in 3 or 4 years.
William Pike, June 27, 2009 at 8:25 pmI really don’t get it…I am an 0- i will be the first person to get bit all the time but my brother in law is an A and he NEVER EVER gets bit..and when he does the 1 mosquito that bit him ends up just flying away after 1 sip! They just keep suckin away on me until I have a bit the size of a half doller coin of course. There really bad can anybody help me with any suggestions..I put on OFF sport for waterproof and sweat proof and that really doesn’t work eather….
Jamie, June 29, 2009 at 7:59 amI’m a redhead with fair skin. I’m also a bit heavy. Mosquitos ALWAYS target me. As soon as it is dusk – I’m toast! Right now I have about 20 bites from working in the yard. It’s the most I have ever had and it’s sooo itchy!
Mel, July 4, 2009 at 11:35 pmI am Blood type O+ and I seldom get bit. If I get 5 a summer that is a lot.
Mary, July 5, 2009 at 11:21 pmim O- and never get bitten. they will land on me and then fly to the next person. i dont even own a can of mosquito spray. i wonder if it has more to do with what foods we eat and how our bodies digest it? you are what you eat right? mabe some blood is less desireable to them.
sasha, July 6, 2009 at 10:50 pmI’m 30, pregnant and have type A+ blood. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been the only one who ever gets bothered by mosquitos and, even more horribly, no-see-ums. I was pregnant with my daughter in the summer of 2007 and counted over 60 no-see-um bites on my left leg alone–and I also have immune system problems…so these bites were ten times worse than the two my son had and the one my husband had. Ugh, I hate bugs and the itching and scratching and burning feeling they leave me with. I have scars ALL OVER my body from childhood and adulthood from scratching the bites until they bled and then scratching at those because they still itched. :((((( HELP!
Dawn KILIC, July 7, 2009 at 11:26 amIm A+ blood i get bit so much right now i have 57 i counted the most ive had is 88 i use bug spray but it dosent work and this happens every year since i remember im only 15 so hopfully u can find a way 2 stop this
Rory Scanlan, July 8, 2009 at 12:14 amquoting Sasha from July 6, >>I’m the same way they will land on me and kind of sniff around and then fly off, occasionaly one will try to bite and sort of gets stuck, I’ll reach down and wipe her away, never get any kind of bump or mark from it.
William Pike, July 8, 2009 at 11:01 pmI am blood type A, I get eaten alive by mosquitos whereever I go. In the Caribbean I got pretty large watery blisters and intense itching. I will never go back there. I had on repellant, mosquito netting over the bed, tooks loads of the vitamin Thiamine, burned mosquito coils under the bed and on both nightstands and they still bit me. I just got back from Redding, CA and they aren’t nice ones up there either. I’m still itching a week after I was biten 9 times. I got watery blisters from those bites also but only half as bad as Antigua, St. Vincent and Bequia. Eash island seemed to get worse and it was actually making me sick. It wasn’t even mosquito season! I have found that if I can apply Witch Hazel on a cotton ball as soon as I am bitten that it helps a great deal.
Sami, July 13, 2009 at 7:18 pmBy the way, my boyfriend is an “O”. They hardly touched him and if they did he had only minor irritation that didn’t last more than an hour or two. He had no repellant on at any time to try to keep them from me but it did not work at all.
Sami, July 13, 2009 at 7:23 pmI’m just rereading these things and other than the few crazies it seems that you are all saying that the Positive blood type(both O and A) people are being eaten, as opposed to the Negatives. Can that be the link?
Sami, July 13, 2009 at 7:31 pmSuch sad posts. I’m B+, get eaten alive and in clusters if I spend more than two minutes in my front yard. No one else is affected. Other family members = three O+. Years ago a landscaper told me to take garlic capsules. They work wonderfully. Just started taking them for this season and can’t wait for the effect to kick-in. Scratching now,
G Clark, July 14, 2009 at 5:31 pmToo bad there is no easy explanation. I have O- blood, so that theory is fun to entertain, but for half my life I was not at all bothered by mosquitoes, now I am their favorite food source. I spent the day at Sunrise in Mt Rainier National park yesterday and was covered with bites that, again, swell and welt, my hands and toes were swollen. They bite regardless of what I put on or wear. The allergic reaction I get is a bit frightening, I actually got a cold shiver after one set of bites. I am worried about what is happening, on one camping trip I had so many bites that would not come out of the camper and took antihistamines to counter the hives and chills. This used to never happen, and I usually camp in a tent, and have for years. It is like thing flipped a switch in my and I have become bait. I was not drinking anything but water, my diet (good, healthy) has not changed. I am carrying a bit more weight than I did as a teen or a twenty-something, and after 2 pregnancies I have not the same weight as I once did. There was a difference after having 2 children in how many mosquito bites I got (lots more). But now, I am in the middle of the mosquito’s radar zone.
Elizabeth, July 17, 2009 at 1:10 pmI am also A- and always get bitten more than any of my o Positive relatives, More study needs to be done!!!!!!!!!!
deb, July 18, 2009 at 8:39 pmA positive and I almost NEVER get bitten.
There must be something to this blood type stuff.
Tailgunner, July 22, 2009 at 1:42 amI live in the Philipines with my brother. He is blood type O the same as me.
bob potter, July 22, 2009 at 6:32 amWe eat the same food and drink the same types of alcohol.
I have never been bitten in my life but my brother is a target. I believe there is something in my blood which deters the mosquitos. I have watched one land on me and immediately take off probably heading towards my brother!!
question for Elizabeeth, you said that the first half of your life you were never bitten, now you are their favorite food, at what age did this change, and were you pregnate? my sister’s imunity changed with her first pregnancy.
William Pike, July 26, 2009 at 9:42 amI am blood type A+ and get bitten really bad, the only thing that somewhat helps me is Avons “skin-so-soft” and even that wears off after a while. Ny husband’s type is O- and he rarely gets a bite. These seem two be two ends of the spectrum that mosquitoes either attack or dont. I guess theres no set pattern
Kat, July 26, 2009 at 11:57 pmMosquitoes used to bother me tremendously. The bites produced the standard welts, and itched like crazy.
After spending about 15 years as a Conservation Officer in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula – with LOTS of mosquito bites – I realized that I no longer got any bites. For the rest of my career, I was bite free.
Even now, 12 years after retirement, I have an immunity. They still buzz around me. On occasion, I will feel a very slight stinging sensation, as one starts to bite me. They never complete their meal, but fly off after just starting to bite.
Palod, August 2, 2009 at 7:14 amI bet people who get laid more get bit less. Mosquitoes can feel that tension
ZorkDude, August 10, 2009 at 9:19 pmHot blooded O+ type scratching the heck out of myself at the moment, looking for a dang cure. Can I deposit my blood at a blood bank and ask for a different currency? I don’t care if the exchange rate kills me, this is insane! I don
Ben, August 13, 2009 at 6:39 pmif you have the o blood type the only reason wny they come after you is becuse thay cant resist is because it tastes so good to them.
Alexander, August 14, 2009 at 10:26 pmthis kind of explains a lot. im leaning more towards the chaos theory though. i believe randomness is essential to order.
charles patrick, August 21, 2009 at 9:20 amI just wondered is it because o type blood can be given to most blood types and is a common to all. I am O possitive and I am alway bitten and even by the irish flys from end of augst, Help needed.
Ethel, August 22, 2009 at 12:19 pmmy whole family is type o blood, but for some reason i always get bitten the most and have a minimum of 30 bug bites on me at all times during the summer. they usually center around my ankles and feet, i guess i just happened to be the one who got the most delicious combination of genes in the family…
constance, August 25, 2009 at 12:44 pmI have always thought something to do with blood. I am A-, so was my Dad; rest of family +. He and I always bitten, others not. My theory has been that is to with the negative bit rather than whether A, AB, O etc. Not only do I always get bitten, but I am allergic to the bites and always get infection, cellulitis, allergic reaction bordering on anaphalaxis – last time ended up on a drip for 24 hours!
Marion Hughes, August 26, 2009 at 5:54 amI’m blood type A and get absolutely chewed on; my wife is an O and the little buggers don’t even seem to know she’s around.
Ed, September 1, 2009 at 3:10 pmI was under the impression the heat signature you put out affects how mosquito’s “see” you.
She’s ALWAYS cold, but I put out a tonne of BTU’s.
The house could be on fire and she’d be putting on a sweater – I’m happy in a -30 blizzard.
But then there’s no mosquito’s around then.
My husband is type O and the mosquitos don’t pay any attention to him. They go straight for me, type A. Could it be the secretor? I should get that checked.
Kathy, September 1, 2009 at 6:45 pmI am blood type O and get bitten like crazy. I just had to speak with someone out in the yard, I was immediately attacked by mosquitoes and ended up cutting our conversation short because of the mosquitoes. The man I was talking with did not get bitten. Now have about 30 bites all over from just 15 minutes outside! I put on repellent in the morning but don’t always remember to reapply it until after I am attacked. I was once told that taking B vitamins would stop them from biting you, but I tried it, and actually I still take B vitamins and still get bitten like crazy. I am interested in the garlic capsules. I already take one garlic capsule a day, if I took more I wonder if it would help? Also would it have to be non-de-odorized garlic?
Jules, September 2, 2009 at 7:39 pmi kno how yall feel. i have nooo idea what blood type i am but all i kno is that everyday, i HAVE to get bitten by a freakin mosquito. my problem is i walk a lot but, just when i get to my house, i get bit.i wear shorts that go to my knees so how do the dang pests get up to my thighs? heres my solution,not much help but it works……..ish: get skin cream and rub it on you after you get bit, it should help a littli and try to control your itching, the more you itch the more the bite gets bigger and itchier. the only thing we can hope for is that in a few million years, the world will end and mosquitos will be gone (just be sure you have an spf of 1000000 for sunscreen,your gonna need it)
Elana, September 10, 2009 at 9:46 pmI am A+ and get bitten all of the time. I get quarter to half dollar sized whelps with each one. I have found that putting ice on the bite helps. It reduces the swelling and thus the itching. If you can keep from breaking the skin on the bite it will heal much faster.
Peggy, September 24, 2009 at 12:32 pmAH! I have type O blood and I will be the ONLY person in a group that gets bitten! Everyone thinks I’m whiny because they don’t seem to be getting bites. Mosquitos and fleas have ruined the appearance of my legs forever. I hate the smell of deet. I wish there was another way! Thanks for the info.
Becky, September 24, 2009 at 7:28 pmIf mosquitos are attracted to CO2 or people who exhale more CO2, and if “thinking” cause the brain to use up more 02 and give out more CO2, then “thinking” may be the key to mosquito bites?
yubing, October 10, 2009 at 7:08 pmthis is alot lol (:
jennifer, October 23, 2009 at 5:43 pmim heela bored ):
jennifer, October 23, 2009 at 5:44 pmI never get bit, but i always have a good laugh at everyone else that does. I can be camping, at a bbq, ballgame, it doesn’t matter, I just don’t get bit. My wife gets eaten alive, even when she uses repellent. I don’t use repellent, cuz I DON’T GET BIT. For all you bite sufferers, let me just tell you how nice it is to never have to worry about mosquitos. sorry, but I just love to rub it in.
trade, October 24, 2009 at 11:44 pmUgh seriously, I am type O and every time I step outside my arms get all their blood sucked out! I don’t know anyone who gets worse bites than me. It’s funny though because I’m so good at ignoring it that it doesn’t even bother me, and if it does get the occasional agitation, it feels good scratching them!!
D.Jay, October 27, 2009 at 10:34 amThe funniest part of the whole article is the photo. The pictured insect is not a mosquito (Culicidae) but a crane fly (Tipulidae), and these do not bite at all.
Hopper, November 1, 2009 at 11:01 amI am an O Blood type, I drink beer and never try to kill them…so Im pretty well the prime candidate. I sat outside one night after work with a beer in 20 minute I got 26 bites on my back, the other two outside didnt get bitten at all.
Cheri, November 16, 2009 at 8:02 amI’m AB-, usually have a 97.2 body temperature. My 8 siblings have the same blood and temp. None of us ever got bitten by mosquitos, despite living in mosquito laden Michigan woodland area. Our parents are bitten at a normal rate. ALL of the 24 grandchildren of various blood types are bitten at a high rate, several requiring medical care after campouts, etc.
Until I went to nutritionist and my diet changed from almost exclusively meat, milk, and junk food to one containing whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Since my diet change in 2006 I have been bitten several times each year, and this summer (2009) I was bitten 7 times, and the sites got itchy and red. That never happened before.
Hormones? Age? Inheretted immunity, then acquired intolerance?
I blame the vegetables.
Sue, November 22, 2009 at 1:42 pmI’m 13. I’m type AB and I had gotten bitten all over my arms and legs when i was smaller so much, that i went to the doctor once{around 10 or 11 years old} . it was itching horribly. my mother even went as far as repeatedly changing my bed sheets because this happened over night. She bought a spray and sprayed me with it. It was to repel against the mosquito. I still experience getting bitten a lot. It’s quite annoying.
alexia, November 29, 2009 at 3:20 amI never get just one bite. Usually more that 5-7 and then they come back for more and bite up to 11 times. these are the “normal” times i get bitten. Like I stated above, I went as far as seeing a doctor because my arms and legs we full of bites. If I showed someone, they would freak out. I’m honestly fed up. I’m writing this now because I’m experiencing the itching on my legs and hands as I type this.
alexia, November 29, 2009 at 3:26 amThe picture given is not that of a mosquito! It’s a crane fly (Tipulidae)
P K Sumodan, December 14, 2009 at 10:50 amI am a researcher working in an unrelated area; however,the above discussion seemed very interesting to me. I am just wondering if anyone has looked at the concentration of the specific protein types in the blood that mosquitoes are looking for and the number of bites. Thanks for the article and everyone’s comments.
Chowdhary, January 8, 2010 at 6:17 pmthank you for a wonderful article. now my colleague and I are aware about mosquito bite in general
prito, January 27, 2010 at 3:42 amthank you for a wonderful article. now my colleague and I are aware about mosquito bite in general. that what an awesome information that could help my topic.
prito, January 27, 2010 at 3:43 amInteresting post, I’m an ‘O’ and I rarely ever get bit. Never thought about it much before though.
mosquito traps, January 27, 2010 at 9:57 pmfor years and years every time i go camping im the ONLY one who gets eaten by thos damn bugs .When i was 10 are atv got stuck 10k away from help and we had to walk all the way there . my back was covered in bits and the sad part is they had to bite thru jacket
Eaten alive, January 31, 2010 at 10:38 pmI’m B+ 56-year-old female and hardly ever get bitten, although I used to when I was younger. I live in climate where mosquitoes are prevalent except in winter.
DebH, February 5, 2010 at 4:52 pmThere seems to be very little pattern with blood type on the above posts….many of you do not note whether you are rhesus negative or not? Maybe this makes some difference too? I also think it is dependant on the type of mosquito…has to be! I rarely get bitten in Europe but on a recent trip to Egypt I got eaten alive – over 100 bites over two evenings (in clusters) and my four friends had around ten bites between them all!!! I am B- blood type. Wish they could eliminate the world of these little pests!
LynseyC, February 26, 2010 at 7:35 amJust another random thought about body temp…… apparently the colder we are in body temp the less we get bitten….the colder I am the more I wear…hence less skin exposed to these nasty little blood suckers…hence less bites? No? People who have raised body temps would be inclined to wear less. Not a scientific fact… more like common sense :)
LynseyC, February 26, 2010 at 7:41 amI am O- and mosquitos could not be less interested in me. I am grateful to not have to wear bug spray all the time. I do know I have very good oxygen uptake. This may help. It would be nice to know why I’m so lucky, maybe diet or vitamins? I keep up on my vitamin Bs…. I have been to the Yucatan, Bahamas, Virginia and the Mid-west in the summer, and all up and down the West Coast. It is so rare that I get bit in any of these places. I did get bit as a child though.
Chelsea, March 1, 2010 at 11:05 amI thought as Marion post 76 that it may be to do with the Rh factor rather that the blood type. I am A- and never get bitten. She is A- and attracts mosquitos, so that theory is out the window.
Noelene, March 13, 2010 at 6:36 amIt seems blood type and Rh doesn’t matter.
There is a wide range of reactions such as multiple bites, cluster bites (that would be me); very large welts indicative of a stronger reaction to the mosquito “saliva” (me again) vs. those who get garden variety itchy bites; and those who even are bitten through clothing (me again).
I live in Maryland about a mile from the bay and have already fed more than a few mosquitos on just one 30-minute power walk at 6 pm yesterday (so movement doesn’t deter them from biting) after an unusually cold winter and snowy/wet couple of months with lots of snow melt and standing water.
Garlic may interfere with the host scent as some have expressed.
And some of us experience something midlife that changes are bite frequency too.
Replentents work, and sometimes not. hmmmmm…. I wonder if it might be the strain or species of mosquito that is the key. Could it be that some strains of mosquitoes indigenous to an area go after some people, but not others? And that repellents are ineffective against some strains, but not others?
Aveeno baths, hydrocortison creams, ice packs, and benadryl make up my drug store list from March through late October for me every year….
kefirah, March 17, 2010 at 4:44 pmI don’t know what blood type i am because i don’t like needles, i get bits around my leg area more than anywhere else does this mean anything? thank you!
Arwel Jones, March 21, 2010 at 4:10 pmI do not know my blood type but i know that my mum is O- and my dad is O positive and they dont get bitten at all!
No mosquito creams work for me and i can’t take tablets so i don’t know what to do about these annoying lumps!
All the comments are defing all the articles i’ve seen and I just wish there was a logical explanation!
Please help.
Em, April 3, 2010 at 5:48 ammy honey is o neg, he never gets bit…. I and my 4 children all are o pos..we get eaten alive…you do the math…we are delicious
Shannon, April 17, 2010 at 2:54 pmI am Rabindra Chauhan from India, my Blood group is AB+ and I am always sucked by mosquitos, to be frank I was in the search such article or research so that I can know the real problem. No other of friends are really get mosquito bites as me. Please publish some exclusive report on AB+ group…Thank You
Rabindra Chauhan, May 16, 2010 at 11:04 pmokey let me use some common sense here.. I’m in the army and we are deployed to Iraq and I been bitten a lot by mosquitos here they are big and they are a lot so I know about mosquitos trust me when I say… I’m pretty sure that hydration has a lot to do with this mosquitos’s radar.. meaning they find you easier and more exquisite you more than other people in the same room… If you analize this and compare the information that has been researched by the scientists so far and common sense we can make up a reasonable explanation since they are inconclusive on the reason why some people get bitten by mosquitos more that others.. here in Iraq I have been drinking so much water than I can remember so I sweat more than when I was in the states !!! and when you are hydrated you sweat more than when you are not…heat has nothing to do with moskitoes finding you they don’t have heat sensitive goggles. Its you! is the water in your body evaporating. been hotter makes you sweat or evaporate your body water and with the water goes all that the researchers say too.. CHEMICAL MARKERS goes faster when you are hydrated and hot than a person with less body water and cooler than you.. if you are the only food in the room that ca detected, guess what? you gonna be eatten!!! does that make sense to you? okey…if that doesn’t I’ll give you this other escenario on how you can be conspicuous by mosquitos… put your sweat pants and sweter and go running at night, make sure you are well hydrated and the temperature outside is not hot. the colder the better and stop in front of a car with the head lights on… you gonna see your skin like a wet and hot towel taken out of a microwave. If you have another person do this so you can see it from a couple of feet will work better, have that person stand between you and the car with the headlights on. this is what moskitoes smell!! I don’t think is your cologne or perfume, axe body spray or victoria secret body spray neither
junior, May 23, 2010 at 7:05 amIf any body at a university wants to really use this theory and do the actual research and then get back at me with results but I really think this is the best explanation for the dilemma. Yunior_754@hotmail
junior, May 23, 2010 at 7:14 amdo not send any coments about my spelling I know it sucks… and i know how to spell mosquito I just like to write it like that moskitoes so yeahh the water in you and your blood type it is… if you are type O and don’t get bit by those try when your body is fully hydrated and you have eatten something delicious for them then get back to me on the result.
junior, May 23, 2010 at 7:40 amI do not believe that blood type has ANYTHING to do with getting bitten. I am A+ and get bitten all the time in the summer. Once, during a family reunion, I stepped outside (after applying mosquito repellent) to join the rest of my family (none of whom had a drop of repellent on them) who had been outside for hours and had to go back inside within the first 2 or 3 minutes because of the 6 mosquito bites I had! And later when they all came back inside, still none of them had any bites! My mom always jokes that when I’m around, she never needs any sort repellent.
Buggy, May 26, 2010 at 9:57 pmBlood type O,husband A,live next door to grandchildren type A. Always tought blood types might have a correlation to bites but it is confusing to say the least. I believe maybe like the guy that worked for the conservation district and had built up an immunity? They land on me big time while I’m out spraying them but the bites don’t swell up. My grandkids get bit up so bad ( they’re little,soft skin and no immunity yet? A child of mine when he was about a year old was bit up while he was asleep and he looked horrible. Now hes 18 and is out working in the fields doing farm work and they don’t really bother him as much. I’d like to find out more research on people in mosquito infested countries and yes, why can’t this be pinned down more. Theres alot of mosquitos and alot of people. Wheres the real answers?
Sageland, May 28, 2010 at 1:02 pmMy husband, blood type A+ body temp runs hot, you can warm cold hands just by holding them near him. He NEVER gets bitten.
peg, May 30, 2010 at 1:44 pmI am type A- average body temp 97.2. I manage to attract every mosquito in a 5 mile radius and each one of them thinks its Thanksgiving and I am the full feast from turkey to pumpkin pie. I get fewer bites when I use repellant, but still more than others around me.
Neither of us use alcohol at all nor are either of us pregnant. So, either there are holes in this theory or we are the exceptions that make it a rule.
I’m B- and mosquitos attack me every chance they get… my husband, sitting right beside me is never bitten! I’ve always wondered why they liked me soooooooo much! My bites swell up about 4 inches across and sometimes leave a brown bruise-ish looking mark before disapearing.
suzzi, June 2, 2010 at 8:04 pmI dont know my blood type but like everytime I come and visit my family in mexico around the summer time, I get bitten like 6, sometimes even more like when I woke up today I had a total about 10 bite marks around my legs and arms and I think I have like two more and everyone else doesnt get bite marks but me. Also do you think its true that washing your body with water and sand from the beach makes them non-ichi and helps get rid of the bug bites?
Bryan, June 5, 2010 at 6:37 pmThis article is wrong. I’m o+, and when I’m drunk not one bite, while all my friends are eaten alive. But when I’m sober its like the 6 doller buffet outside of a curves.
joseph, June 21, 2010 at 1:57 amI think that the temperature theory might be right. When I was younger I used to have the same body temperature as most people (99,5 F). I constantly got bitten almost every day and to make matters worse I was allergic to mosquitoes. I could count to over 30-40 bites most days and they were all very big, red and itchy.
Madeleine, June 22, 2010 at 7:49 amA few years ago, though, I got hypothyreosis and since then my body temperature is a bit on the low side (96,8 F) and I still get bitten but not nearly as much. Only two bites this year and it seems like I’m not as allergic to mosquitoes as I was before, either.
I don’t think it matters, but my blood type is AB-.
Thanks so much for posting this artcicle. I probably have been bitten by 40, 000 mosquitoes by the end of the summer. It’s insane and at the moment I do not know my blood type but I would like to find out to see if that’s the reason. My friend’s mom told me that Mosquitoes are attracted to “healthier blood” and it makes sense but didn’t know how. SO I researched to see if there were any prooven factors as to why this ALWAYS happens to me. SO the CO2 levels seem like a definetly accurate idea, being the more active the more co2 and in the summer’s that’s me esspecially. SO thanks again for your article.
Meg Johnson, June 27, 2010 at 10:00 amSo interesting! I’m O negative and mosquitoes don’t bother me but eat my spouse alive if they’re around; but one child is O negative also and seems to get bitten as much as most people. I’ve always assumed mosquitoes like them because they both are much warmer than I am– I tend to be so cold (low blood pressure) while they are both like furnaces.
Wu Ming, June 28, 2010 at 5:22 pmBuy a small bottle of citronella. dab a little on shoe or sandle near ankles and perhaps on something like hairband, ribben or something. It has realy made a difference to not getting bitten so much. I always carry a little bottle around to add to tea lights and the smell is not bad either. Clarityn tablets help with reaction
Michelle, July 2, 2010 at 1:37 amOK, after reading all this I have it figured out.
Blood type is not as important as the HEAT you give off.
I used to never get bit with 0 negative blood, but I never used to sweat that much either, very rarely…that is until MENOPAUSE.
My husband does not have O, but he sweats, or used to, rolling down his head after 10 minutes out side….and I could not take him anywhere in the heat without him getting eaten alive.
Now the tables are turned, its me they prefer, because I am hot all the time and sweat easily.
Lori Muir, July 6, 2010 at 10:41 amI am interested in the ethnicity of the people who get bites and who do not get a single bite along with your bloody type and weight, height, and gender.
James, July 6, 2010 at 1:42 pmI am type O neg and very, very rarely get bitten. My parter (who does not know her blood type) is constantly getting bitten. So much for the O factor. We could be standing side by side and they just love attacking her.
Terrie, July 10, 2010 at 8:11 amI am rhesus negative blood type and have never been bitten in my life even though I’ve lived all over Africa – the mosquitoes just avoid me.
Tracey, July 12, 2010 at 4:20 pmI have read almost all these comments and have to agree with the amount of heat a body puts off and as I am sure there are other triggers to mosquitos. I usually have 80+ on each leg (from calf to toe) I can wear heavy canvas pants, socks and shoes (they won’t bite through the shoes)they will bite through everything I wear… I have them in my hair, face, in between my fingers and toes, and even on my bumm. I joke that I am meth for mosquitos. I have used every type of spray, cream, oil and lotion …. I have taken B vitamins and garlic…..with no relief at all. I have even used the bug spray that we use on the horses and cows…. it helps alittle but they will bite me through that as well. (Please don’t do it… it is toxic!) The only thing that brings relief from the bites is salt water and sunshine. To those who live near the sea Praise God! go take a dip and soak up some sunshine. To those of us land locked break out the mineral salts and run a bath. I make it a very strong solution and if they are really bad will rub the salt directly on the legs and arms and let it sit for a few minutes. Yeah it burns like heck…but it does seem to relieve some of the irritation. I then rub a combination of Hydrocortizone (strongest you can find… ask Dr.) and Triple Antibiotic Ointment. This does heal the welts and broken skin faster. If someone is keeping an eye on the stats of these posts… I am O-, fair skinned, and have a warmer than average body temp, I also tend to sweat easy. We live near a river and have swarms of mosquitos. I will be checking back to see if anone has more suggestions ……
Shana, July 21, 2010 at 10:20 amI am o+ and have never been bitten, my grandfather had malaria from the 2nd world war and my doctor at the time after taking anti malaria tablets said that i could have some kind of antiboby
Richard 1972, July 22, 2010 at 4:22 pmHad to post this as i worked out in san tome in 2000 and me and my mate sat outside a bar and he watched the little bastards land on my legs for a few moments and just fly away, do a lap of the bar, land on him and start sucking!!!!
Richard 1972, July 22, 2010 at 4:27 pmInterestingly it seems that people who get bitten have chosen mates (partners) who do not?? Maybe there are pheromones that we select for, even in this case! I by the way, do not get bitten- they hover over me- rarely land (The only type of mosquito to feast on me was in japan it has White striped legs) growing up I was bitten and had terrible swollen painful bites. My husband, for the record, gets eaten alive by everything!!
Tamaara, July 29, 2010 at 4:32 pmthis is quite interesting, even for me who does not know wht her blood type really is ((supposedly an o))… I get bitten every summer, and sometimes it just itches and the other it doesnt at a certain time of day in the summer… be it the afternoon to 3pm, when its really hot, the fan is on, drinking something super cold like the usual ((even in winter too… i just dont know y i dislike drinking something hot or warm…)) THIS IS JUST WHERE IT STARTS… when my skin becomes sweaty and hot, they come eating me alive… when my skin gets goosebumps or dehydrated or cold ((yes, in the coldest room available where they shouldnt reach at all)) i dont feel like they bit me at all and most often it doesnt itch at all at first….. O.o
Jane, July 31, 2010 at 10:52 pmAnd it also sucks to be the target… -_-;; I live in a family of 6 ((me, older brother, parents and grandparents))… everytime theres a mosquito in the house, they come looking for me instead of the others… my parents get bitten seldom… the others none “just cuz theyre mostly around cigarettes”!?!? You see, i hear tht bugs including these dislike smoke and tends to get away… btw, i never saw my bro get bitten, but if he sees one he wouldve smacked it dead ((in all possible corners and places, except cobwebs))…
Just to say wht i think, i think tht ppl who are o- and o+ are like just opposite preferences for a bloodsucking mosquitio… even if u are an o and u dont kno whether ur + or -, might as well think how mosquitoes get to ur place first and then onto u… for me, w/o a doubt its the front and back door thts open at a certain time for a certain amount of time……… UGH….
Anyways, thank you for posting something interesting, peeps~ =D
For most of my life I was bitten occasionally but not a lot, despite having an outside job in the woods. My body temperature ran about a degree below average normal (97.6 instead o 98.6). A couple of years ago, I learned that I had hypothyroidism, one or the symptoms of which is low body temperature. I am now taking 95mg per day of porcine thyroid extract. This summer I have been bitten dozens of times in a single day. I also have received most of my bites where the skin is thinnest (forearms, side of neck, etc.). Maybe body temperature really is one of the things that attract biting insects. I think I’ll start eating garlic and see if that helps.
Tom, August 22, 2010 at 11:01 amMy wife, daughter and myself (Californians) went vacation to Bremerton,WA a week ago and noticed that 3 of us got bitten but not the people we visited. Perhaps, these bugs like new blood? It is like new dishes on the dining table haha.
Jme, August 24, 2010 7:24am
Jme, August 24, 2010 at 9:24 amHey there Gang, I’m O negative, I’m always’s HOT like a furnace, don’t like the heat or sun. I know my skin temperature is warmer than other’s. Cause they where jacket’s, and I’m still in my T-shirt. But i don’t sweat as much as other people, when other people do. I am Caucasian but i hardly ever drink at all, maybe twice a month. Ok(Listen)i get bit up so dang much, every little insect. Mosquito, Fly, Flea, Spider, Asian beetle, Leech, Centipede, Chigger’s, Louse, Scabies, Crab’s, Wood tick, Etc. I can come in from one night at a camp fire, with my body doused in bug spray! My friend’s might have 2 bite’s. I will keep getting outbreak’s for 5 day’s!!!! 30 bite’s on my leg’s, neck, and arm’s, mostly by the elbow’s! So i just don’t go outside no more at dusk. (8:00-10:30) One weird occasion~ my Son and i living together, Same blood line! Had an outbreak of cat flea’s, had to bomb the house. I got bit over 100 time’s. How many for him, a couple? So some thing’s that might be different from what people are saying here? I Love to eat a lot, Mushroom’s, Onion’s, Bread, Milk. But only my gut is obese, my arm’s and Leg’s are normal where they like to bite. Have sweet underarm deodorant, sit still (relax), and i can feel every tiny thing on my skin. But hey one thing i know for a fact. I was cooking hamburgers in a cabin, out in the deep wood’s. The smoke was only going out one window. The screen was loaded with over 600 Mosquito’s, but absolutely zero on all 3 other window screen’s. They can smell the blood from the burger!!!!!!!! So may~bey they bite me so much more, cause my blood is closer to the outer layer of skin? And if they can smell my food closer to the surface also? I have also tried Garlic.
Crazy, August 25, 2010 at 11:19 pmI am type O Negative and I do NOT get bit. I also have the blood disorder ITP that someone mentioned above and they said they get bit all the time, well again I have that and do NOT get bit…..You know what makes sense?? Some of us have a gene that causes us to give off certain chemicals that repel mosquitoes and some of us don’t have that gene. It’s natural selection. As in how some people carry genes that kills the malaria virus and some don’t. This is needed in some areas, like parts of Africa, for the people to even survive OR malaria would wipe them out. Same thing goes for the Black Plague; a third of the population was killed, but the survivors carried a gene, I think it’s called Delta 32, that destroyed the sickness; without that gene everyone would have died. Therefore, mosquitoes carry diseases which are a threat to humans, if everyone in the world couldn’t repel mosquitoes in some way, if everyone in the world didn’t carry a gene for it that they could pass to their young for generations and generations of human survival…then some parts of the world, or maybe all parts of the world, wouldn’t be able to survive. It just is what it is people, you may not carry the gene to repel mosquitoes, but you might carry the gene that kills aids, or malaria, or whatever else.
Caitlin, September 3, 2010 at 10:04 amMy husband and I are both “O” blood types yet I am a mosquito magnet and he is not. I am so frustrated whenever we travel I end up with welts all over my body and he has none. I realize there must be something different in our chemical makeups otherwise it just doesn’t make any sense. Just yesterday, we were in a situation where there were a few mosquitos and I can count today, I have 9 bits and he has 0. I must admit, I do not use insect sprays on my body, which I have to start doing. It’s an awlful thought that every time I go outside I have to lather up with insect replent. There has to be an alternative.
azallie, September 5, 2010 at 10:28 amI don’t know how they concluded that study. I’m type O and I rarely get bitten while my boyfriend is type B and he always gets bitten.
Megan, September 6, 2010 at 9:26 amI’m a type AB(+) and I get bitten every time if it happens that I’m late outside and in their presence. It’s pestering that they’ll always come for me in the midst of other people. It’s one thing am eager to know why, not found satisfactory reason.
Werason, September 12, 2010 at 6:33 amI have B- blood, i drink everyday after work, and i’ve been out and a bout in areas so clogged with mosquittos that i’ve got landed on many a time, but not a single bite. i got bites as a kid, but it decreased when i hit puberty at 17 or so, and at 25 or 26 i haven’t had a bite since, oh and i also don’t like sweets much, they build up for me like when you eat something spicy, the same thing happens for sweets with me, so there really isn’t a point in getting a candy bar/slice of cake if your only having a bite…
so hence my question?…
wtf?
Jonathan, October 1, 2010 at 11:37 pmhello everyone. i have always been biten by these pesty blood suckers. and i to get attacked before i even get the door closed good. i hate it . i love outside. i am O+ body temp runs 97.3 i am female, whilte and 47. it does seem the bite have increased the older i have gotten. a friend told me my cholestoral must be high the bugs love the stuff. anyone heard anything bout this being a possible cause. by boyfriend takes cholestoral lowering drugs and never get bit. just a thought.. maybe we should all have ours checked.
karen, October 3, 2010 at 2:25 pmon holiday recently in goa we stayed with some friend who have lots of land whith cabins and a huge lake 20 yds away , having slept under the mosquito net all night i needed to go to outside bathroom at about 6-30 am yes thats right dawn during my short stay i looked down onto my cream trousers and counted close to 20 mozzis per leg . where were the rest i thought . oh my they were everywhere and i mean everywhere. they say that the mosquito will go for the thin skin on the foot,but i was wearing slippers the next area is the hands and then the privates yes the groin,10 -20 bites lots of blood there. lesson to be learnt bathroom only when the sun is high in the sky. happy holidays
patrick, October 3, 2010 at 4:52 pmI am O+ and I am constantly getting bit by mosquitoes.
Lisa, October 3, 2010 at 9:24 pmI am 35 and O – and I am currently covered in bites, which increase in number every day because of where I live and work. I manage a hotel that is surrounded by bush over looking a Lake and now that it is spring I wake up with more everyday very fustrating because they swell up and ache, I even remember going camping when I was young and counting over 100 bites on my arms. It drives me crazy, today I have been googling how to ellimante these bites no one elses seems to get biten if I am around. My partner went out this evening at dusk and had they landing on him and not one bite …..
Teresa, October 6, 2010 at 7:05 ammy friend and i live in one room.my friend is not bitten by mosquitoes and bed bugs.when a mosquito bite him it is killed by itself.i asked him why mosquito does not bite him?he replied that every year in spring season ,he drinks the decoction of indian herb [chariata] for 1 or 2 days.and so he is never bitten by bed bugs and mosquitos
omoron, October 6, 2010 at 9:53 pmi have sensitive skin. i easily get allergic reactions from mosquitos… i got mosquito bites most of the time. =( … and im currently living under tropical location, a breeding ground for mosquitoes.. i hope there are other ways to prevent being bitten, other than DEET lotions..
i think maybe, these ways the mosquitoes pick their victims, as i observed.. they are the following:
d.) glucose factor – maybe they tend to look for targets whose blood rich in glucose content, coz glucose is energy. thus making them alive and filled with energy. glucose can easily release energy providing heat. blood + glucose
b) person who sweats / or “on heat” – if the person usually sweats, that means the body is on heat, thus making the person an easy target. if heat is detected, that means blood is fresh, and thermal. if they get cold blood, it would not be easy for them coz the blood is going to coagulate.
c) CO2, h20 and oxygen – most mosquitoes dwell in plants(like tropical areas) and stagnant water. may prove significant.. they do need water, just like living plants and animals do.
d) skin type – after they found a prey, they determine the skin type, usually sensitive skin, or pale skin, and thin skins. so that it would be easier for them to bite. if skin is thin, they can easily attack without trying too hard with their teeth.
e) people who wear dark colors – maybe they have eye sensors/multi sensors that can detect heat through dark backgrounds.. if someone wears white/light clothes or in lighted areas, their ability to detect preys can be frustrating
i’m not sure about this, but maybe.. as pointed in the previous posts, (thanks to you) above and recent searches i did over the internet. i could be wrong. ;)
i might as well try to take chariata as posted above in a week and see what happens, it might help. i searched about chariata, and it says it lowers down glucose.. this might solve our problems! :)
kris, October 17, 2010 at 6:18 amI’m O+ & male & I’m constantly bitten by mozzies. My mum & sister having A blood-type are not bitten despite walking with me through the forested area. I’m wearing light-coloured shirt so that rules out the reason why I’m bitten.
mozziekiller, October 21, 2010 at 5:28 amCould it be a combination of blood-type O+ & being male with male pheromones that make me a magnet for mosquitoes? After all, only female mosquitoes bite.
A- blood. fair skinned -tried high protein diet and then veggie diet,Didnt work. EATEN ALIVE by all insects. I am now battling ticks who bite me with gusto and my son gets no bites . I am now getting bitten by TICKS INSIDE the house. He has no bites.Im SURE it is a chemistry problem. But why on earth doesnt someone figure this out? They could make a fortune. I am going to try the chariata. Dont even know what it is but who knows when your lucky number will come up? Enjoyed the comments. At least I have some company with this terrible malady. Modern science or drug manufacturers should see some money in this? But maybe not enough.Lord have mercy on us all
Patsy McLamb, October 26, 2010 at 2:12 amI am a blood type AB+ and i still get bit very much from mosquitoes, i think it doesn’t matter which blood type you have. but hey everyone has there own theory and beliefs.
Victor Ochoa, October 30, 2010 at 2:23 pmBECAUSE MOSQUITOES DONT BITE APES, Oh, yes….. this is the subject of evolution. Many published studies over recent years have shown that chimpanzees mostly have Blood type A, almost no Blood type O, but never Blood type B. The other great ape, the gorilla has Blood type B, almost no Blood type O, but never Blood type A. In these ‘man-apes’ species, said to be the ancestors of man, there is NO Blood type AB in either. Generally speaking, man has both Blood types A and B, and Blood type AB. Blood type O, in man is by far the most common in virtually every racial group.
MALCOM ALEX, November 12, 2010 at 8:47 pmi dont kno my blood type i never got bitten by mosqitos
blobie, November 18, 2010 at 1:39 amI get bitten by mosquitos all the time when im in the same room as my brother who does not, even with repellent.
Snoop dowgy dowg, November 24, 2010 at 8:16 amThank you soo much for the informations. Now I understand why i get bitten soo much everyday i will get few here and there. I get soo frustrated over it and decided to looked up on internet. Well i am not only Type O blood i am also Pregnant this is why i get bitten everyday at all times….
Nanak, December 6, 2010 at 9:40 amI’m sat online reading this article because I can’t sleep. Staying with family, forgot the repellent and everytime I try sleep, I hear that annoying little whiny buzz in my ear and soon I’m bitten and itching all over. About 20 bites so far this evening and not a minute of sleep. Doesn’t matter what I wear, I can even lie completely covered in my sheets and they just bite through. If I use any kind of skin repellant, they just find the spot I missed and I end up with bitten lips, ears and eyelids. I live in South Africa, Spring through to Autumn me and my two sons get eaten alive and guess what? My husband gets none or very few. My husband has a much warmer body temp than me, my kids average. Blood groups all different. Not pregnant, vegetarian but my sons and husband eat meat. Sadly, having sat here and read this article and comments through, I’m none the wiser and I really wish I’d found a cure!! Although it did distract me from my bites for a short while.
Weeza, December 25, 2010 at 10:21 pmThe only factual observations I can make after 40 years of being mosquito chow;
1. My kids and I get bitten at night most, while we sleep or try to sleep, and the ONLY thing that can prevent it is a plug in mossie killer plugged in a good hour or so before we go to bed. Keep windows closed. There’s nothing that will stop us getting bitten outside in the evenings or early morning so we just avoid it at all costs.
2. Different types of mossie can cause more problems; we’ve found one type with black & white legs is particularly vicious? Anyone know why?
I wish somebody could figure it out, any more diet info – love to know if garlic works. Hey, f@*k it, love to know if ANYTHING works.
How frustrating! Over three years, 152 comments, and only one article addressing the reasons some people are magnets for blood sucking insects. mosquitos, no-see-ums, certain flies, and the Red Cross– they all like my blood. As a universal giver I don’t mind giving to the Red Cross. I don’t even want to see the demise of the insects. I just want to prevent being bitten. There must be a scientist in a lab somewhere that is interested in making a lot of money. I would be like a kid on vacation and spend every dime in my pocket for relief from irritating and oozing bites. In the meantime, I am going to try the garlic treatment since none of the scientific studies up to 2007 seem to have any answers.
Michal, January 5, 2011 at 11:09 amSo I’m A positive blood type and mosquitos, fleas and grass bugs love biting me! Its sooooo annoying to say the least, I went to the park to walk my dog I was wearin jeans a sweater tennis shoes and they still found a way to bite me on my arms and thighs and hands its ridiculous they need to find the real reason and solution stat! : ( until then they continue to feast on me!
stephanie, January 23, 2011 at 12:25 pmIf you are the type who react strongly to insect bites – site becomes red and swells, feeling hot and itching or even burning, homeopathic remedy, Apis 30c can help. To reduce the symptoms take every 1/2 hour till the itching subsides max 5 times. Ledum 30C can also help with bites that itch but aren’t swollen and red. Apis and Ledum antidote each other as I discovered when I took first apis for a bee sting and then ledum the next day for an ant bite – the site of the sting started to itch and burn. I repeated the apis and sting was better. Caladium 12c is a remedy that can make a person unattractive to mosquitoes, but also makes cigarettes taste horrible. I recommended it to my son’s horse riding teacher as she is always being bitten and she told me she started to dislike cigarettes, when I looked in the materia medica it was also noted there the dislike of cigarettes. Hope this helps some people.
Angela, March 29, 2011 at 9:03 amwow i didn’t know that, p.s i am really in school im just a bit smart….
Emma, April 7, 2011 at 9:40 amlol
I realize this thread is really old, but have any of you tried Cutter’s bug repellant? I get eaten alive if I don’t use it, but am totally protected if I do. OFF is a joke, as well as Skin So Soft. And my blood type is O+.
Karen, April 11, 2011 at 3:29 pmI am agreed to the theory and with Allsion. And i also appreciate Angela to give a good solution by using the homeopathic medicines and cure yourself from mosquitoes biting as well as get rid of nicotine.
Iftekhar, April 15, 2011 at 11:56 pmI have recently moved to Dubai and I seem to get bitten all the time from mosquito’s and take a bad reaction to them my foot is really swollen and itchy so annoying.
Alanah, April 19, 2011 at 2:20 amIts funny as my husband dont seem to get bitten nor does my youngest son, it only seems to be myself and my oldest son….. now a may be wrong but me and my son both have red hair could that have anything to do with it plus I am A+ blood type. why o why o why do I keep getting bitten????
I just found out that not only is type O a hot commodity for mosquitos but also the darker color of what you wear and skin tone attract mosquitos. That why when you see a gardner wearing a lighter color its not to help the plants (i don’t think) but to keep away those pesky blood suckers…
Becky, April 20, 2011 at 2:04 pmIt’s funny but seems like the medications I’m on seem to have a lot to do with it…when my doctor upped my divalproex they didn’t bite me quite so much anymore. But then when he switched it to xr they showed some renewed interest…same with the seroquel. Now I don’t call myself an expert or anything but I do so hate anecdotal evidence and how suddenly everyone’s an expert right…well when I went off my fanapt, i started getting bitten all the time and especially at night! After a few days…well the mosquitoes became bigger…I asked them once but as it turns out they only speak russian.
Brunhilde, April 26, 2011 at 5:03 pmMy dad has always been bit by fleas &Mosquitos (he is O positive) I have been blessed with the same attractivness with these vampires ( I am A positive a given because my mom is A positive) and these blood suckers dine on me as much or more than my dad. I think that fleas are the worst as they are more insidious and let’s face it there is more shame when you share with others that fleas dine on you! My legs bear many scars from previous attacks & am well aware that I should not scratch but I cannot help what I do in my crazed sleep state at night! My reactions to flea bites look more like what one would think a spider bite might be and if I dare to scratch, I get a huge ugly bruse around the bite area- not attractive for a ladys leggs! I just returned from Florida with a group of professionals and I was the only one that I know of that was tormented by “sand fleas” it looks like I have a disease especially if I’ve scratched and pus is on the bite. One year along time ago (before treatments for animals came out like Frontline, I was so tormented by this that when I happened to nail a flea that jumped on me I would grab it between my thumb And finger and drown it in “Compound W” just to make it suffer, I was at my limit!!
Patricia, May 3, 2011 at 1:20 amIm O- and I get bitten alot more than my family of different blood types
lisa, May 17, 2011 at 2:00 pmMy body tempature is 96.8 and i never get bit and my carbon dioxide is low my grand mother was the sam way she lived on an house boat in the Atchafalaya Basin
seascoutship9, May 22, 2011 at 8:16 pmsame
seascoutship9, May 22, 2011 at 8:16 pmI am from Tanzania East Africa and i have been bitten by mosquito even during the daytime.It was so hard for me to explain but now according to this post i got some clues on why mosquito prefer by blood compared to other people.The explanation is interesting but further investigation should be done and if possible to isolate genes from individuals who are malaria resistant and transfer to our susceptible bodies.I am sure science can do this what we only need is enough information and the mechanism behind.
Esso, May 24, 2011 at 1:13 pmIm type O+and in one day I get as many as 15 if not more bites per day..my husband is ab and he can stand right next to me and never get bitten…look forward to this summer being pregnant and with a temperature..
Luisa, May 31, 2011 at 4:23 pmI spent 2 weeks in Dakar Senegal and didn’t get bit by one mosquito but they love me in Connecticut USA. I have B+ blood. My husband gets bit but they don’t itch. I hate him for that!
Carrie, May 31, 2011 at 9:29 pmI knew it was the alchohol, party and me being there mobile kegger..lol . I get tore up way worse than everyone around me, it sucks even with a way lot of bug spray..kind of wondered if surgeries that you are given someone elses blood could make a difference also?
mike mccormick, June 2, 2011 at 8:46 pmthanx 4 the article ahh they really hurts
PRASHANT CHAUHAN, June 3, 2011 at 9:10 amMy family and I went camping last summer near a lake. All the memembers of my family got a few mosquito bites here and there, maybe four at most. Except for me. I got 47 bites total. I counted. They were all over my arms and legs, and I looked like I had the plague. Luckily I don’t live in an area that has mosquitos but when we go on vacation somewhere that does this ALWAYS happens.
alyssa, June 5, 2011 at 12:01 amI used to live in Thailand/Cambodia a few years back and the locals told me to stop eating banana’s as they have some chemical that leaches from your skin and is an attractant to those pesky little creatures.
Juniormark, June 11, 2011 at 2:23 pmSeveral years ago I did a report in college concerning DDT. From what I found out, DDT is safe for humans and nature but it was a dispute between two competing insecticide companies. While in the AF they would issue us small cans of it to spray inside our aircraft prior to landing and give us spray cans to use in our rooms when we went to Southeast Asia. When DDT was legal, Malaria was practicly wiped out. There were less than 5,000 cases a year through-out the world. A few years later and today, there are over 60,000 cases a year. Please don’t beleive all the hype you read about it. Though nothing is totally safe, it is much safer than Sevin or other stuff thats still in use. We need to bring it back. Do any of you remember when they would drive around fogging the neighborhood? I was a kid back then and I do and that was DDT and I never heard of anyone developing some wierd disease or birth defects and we would have fun running THROUGH the fog….If you’re worried about the diseases mosquito’s carry, then you should write your congress person and have then re-evaluate it and then legalize it for household use.
Peskybynature, June 11, 2011 at 2:34 pmThis is indeed a weird phenomenon! My husband and I both have type O blood. I rarely get bitten but he does! Once on vacation we went for a romantic stroll and he came back just covered with mosquito bites, but I had perhaps one. Same thing with my last boyfriend, I’m not sure what his blood type was, but he was a big drinker. Any time there were mosquitos in the area he’d get bitten, but not me!
V_T, June 13, 2011 at 3:36 pmI have high iron levels (beyond high in fact) and I have Factor V Leiden (which is a blood clotting disorder). These issues are genetic and I am positive that I get eaten alive every year (as does my Mom) because of our blood disorders…………I am A+. Last summer I sat out one evening with my dad and I got 50 bites in a couple hours and he had NONE!!!! I think they like my thicker blood that is very iron rich. These are both problems for me but they may be seen as appetizing to mosquitos sadly. We all know that iron in the blood has a distinct smell and I think that mosquitos can smell that which makes me a target. I’d be curious to know if other people with either high iron levels or clotting disorders have major problems with mosquito bites! Also, one woman wrote above that her bites are unbearably itchy and end up looking like bee stings – I hear ya!!!!!!! So for me (and my Mom) it;s not just about the frequency of the botes it’s also about the intensity.
kmoore, June 15, 2011 at 11:53 pmI have 6 brothers and sisters and NONE of them get eaten up as much as me. Can anyone explain this?!?
M_P, June 20, 2011 at 6:12 pmi battle mosquitoes every single day…they follow me and if i am in pajamas or dress socks with a thin layer of fabric over my skin some how i get bitten…so then ive been told that its what my body gives off…i take a shower come back not even one minute i get bitten…unless im moving they wont bite…im not obese or fat at all but rather at a healthy weight, nor do i breath heavy(how do you know? well i breath through my nose Not my mouth even when i sleep because ive told my brother to tell me because he has seen me sleep), but i am the type that wont move while sleeping or standing and also i am a “warm” person meaning i like the cold a lot…where ever i may be they love me no one else out of the other 5 people here living…
AC, June 22, 2011 at 8:37 amI have Blood type A-,so that blows blood type out of the water-because no-one has mentioned blood type A-.My husband is type O+ and he does get bitten but not enough to makes sense of the O blood type theory. So I don’t think its blood type at all. I do have asthma and allergies so that one is a possibility. I do believe in the predator effect because in the sun they don’t seem to be as bad. No matter what I get eaten alive and then the bite swells to a whelp the size of a fifty cent piece and then turns to a bruise that lasts for weeks as far as the itching Bennedryl gel stops the swelling and itching after a few applications.. Mosquito repellent really doesn’t help prevent the bites. I am more likely to agree with the theory of maybe emittions of a favourable feast smell from certain people. Once they isolate that pheromone they will have a solution to why mosquitoes bite or annihilate certain people.
Tess, June 23, 2011 at 9:50 pmI am 0+ and i got 4-5 bites in my life.And i am 18. WHY I DON”T GET BITTEN!!!!
Smilor, June 27, 2011 at 12:19 pmIt’s not that i want but this blood tyupes theory is wrong.
And… that picture is wrong… Haven’t seen mosquito like that one in years!!!
Smilor, June 27, 2011 at 12:21 pmThese are new… they are black and have white lines on their legs and body.
Diet: high calorie, plenty of white meat (almost never red) and sugar
Metabolism: very high
Blood type: O+
Exercise: 7 hours+ cardio a week / 4 hours+ weight lifting
Skin: fair
Smoke/drink: pack a day, six pack at least once a week
Stature: 5’10, 165 pounds, medium frame.
Caucasian of German descent.
Now, here’s the thing. The above descriptions fit both my father and I. The biggest difference between our physical appearance and anything listed above is that the veins in my arms are much more visible. He almost never gets bit. I get bit very often. Here’s the kicker: only one of every thirty or so bites ISN’T on my arms.
Also, last week after a more-intense-than-usual leg workout, my veins were showing a lot more than usual and, go figure, once I went outside they were comin’ straight for my legs.
Dave, June 28, 2011 at 1:54 pmI have a theory: DIET.
Christie, June 28, 2011 at 5:28 pmDoesn’t that make sense? The blood will have different levels of nutrients, and therefore will smell different to mosquitoes. And apparently drinking Apple Cider Vinegar will help deter these nasty ol’ buggers.
Just a 16 year old’s input. :)
I am type O and over 40 and I don’t remember when the last time I was bitten even when I was in an area that was infested with thousand of them. I guess I am lucky!
Cheri, June 29, 2011 at 5:15 pmEvery single night I put on about 3 soild layers of deep wood off before I go to sleep. Also put on the ac and put on a blanket. And in the night{This is a sleeping disorder put i am treated} I put on another 3 layers. The first time I put the off on and then wake up to put more I see some on my leg near my ankle. I thought it was bed bugs, but it was not. {I did not know it was mosquite until moring.} So after wakeing up with 3 other three layers I saw more and I did the exact some thing i DID AT FIRST. wHY IS THIS Happening to me?????
Niki, June 29, 2011 at 9:37 pmi can watch them land on me all day, pet them and they fly away without a bite. now my guy friend who is type 0 not only gets bit, but also gets these God awful, large red areas of the bite site. i feel badly now for laughing at it at first because i’ve never seen anything like that from a mosquito bite. he has a doctors appointment tomorrow…..
mojo, July 5, 2011 at 8:22 pmIm type 0+, and i get bitten all the time; when nobody else does. High body temp too , so this makes sense for me.
tashia, July 6, 2011 at 9:28 pmHi, mosquitoes bite me and my children a lot than others. Do you have any suggestion about this. Thanks.
mosquito killer, July 7, 2011 at 4:39 amOnly twice in my life have I met someone who gets bitten more than I do. I sheepishly admit that I enjoyed the outdoors much more when I was around these people! I could sit and relax, unmolested, while the other poor sod slapped and twitched and scratched.
And it’s not just mosquitoes that I attract. Deer flies horse flies, black flies, fleas, bedbugs and no-see-ums all prefer me. Bites raise up higher and take longer to abate. I came home from 3 months in Africa joking that “even the butterflies bite.” Once I have accumulated 5 or 6 bites I am so itchy all over I can’t even locate the actual bites.
I don’t know what blood type I am, but even as a child I was always too hot and sweated readily. My skin is acidic. Would that mean I exude the lactic acid some studies are looking at? It seems to make no difference if I have bathed or not, eaten bananas or not, am wearing dark clothing or not.
I know bats, swallows, frogs, and dragon flies need to eat…..but the world would be a better place without these tiny, whiny killjoys.
Elly, July 7, 2011 at 3:23 pmI’m also an O-. I can be sitting at a bbq and everyone is swatting and getting bitten, and I never get one bite…. My husband is A- and never gets bitten either. After reading everyone’s comments it seems you are less likely to be bitten if you are an O.
Brenda, July 8, 2011 at 5:32 pmI have been known to get as many as 30 mosquito bites in one night. I was outside with my friends for the 4th and got 10 bites. I was sitting in the smoke of a bonfire and no one else walked away witha single bite. I am O+.
Katie, July 8, 2011 at 9:25 pmI completely disagree with the blood type theory. My father and I both have A+ blood. I had just recently come home from a family vacation in the caribbean; I have over 160 bug bites on my legs and arms while my father only has 2 bites.
Danielle, July 18, 2011 at 12:45 amThank you. That was useful. Im blood type AB and I get at least 4 mosquito bites per day. If I lived on a farm, I would get eaten by mosquitoes. (Its a good thing I don’t live on a farm :))
Jerome, July 21, 2011 at 7:34 pmAcctually, im AB+.
Jerome, July 21, 2011 at 7:43 pmI am type A- and get bit alot and get huge red welts. Washing with soap and water and then applying caladryl clear seems to be the only thing that takes away the initial burn and itching. My husband is O+ and hardly ever gets bitten. My father also was a mosquito magnet getting big welts. I hate using repellent since it seems to cause acne breakouts. (the undergrounders that just hurt and are watery) I don’t know which is worse. Sheesh. I love summer but hate those little buggers.
Audie, July 22, 2011 at 1:14 amWhy would anyone trust an article on mosquitoes that mistakenly used a picture of a freaking CRANE FLY as the image?????? They are probably wrong about everything else!!
Jonas, July 22, 2011 at 10:34 amFor Mike at #5, I knew that yours would be one of the lamest comments here as soon as you stated about “mosquitoes feed their young.” Dude… take a class.
Ron, July 22, 2011 at 2:44 pmB+. I get hammered daily here in Colorado. Same as a kid and young adult living in humid East Texas. Surely science and the pharmaceuticals can join hands and produce something that we can consume that will then be a part of our blood-markers and not only deter the mosquitos but mortally impact them. But then what would we do with all those insect repellents and deterrents that we spend a fortune on and enjoy spraying ourselves with (surely over time this will harm our atmosphere and our lungs???)?
Mark, July 24, 2011 at 12:44 amI have always been eaten alive by the buggers. I used to go thru tons of benedryl spray for the itch. I have found the best solution for the itching. Anti itch ointment which is actually just hydro cortisone. It takes a little while to stop the itching but I usually only have to apply once.
beth fitzgerald, July 28, 2011 at 7:26 amI am blood tyoe AB, and always get bitten. Blood typeAB is supposed to repel mosquitoes. WHY DO THEY BITE ME THEN?!?!?!
Judith, July 30, 2011 at 11:30 amThese idiots that are denouncing the blood type theory because they are an O blood type and never get bitten, PLEASE REREAD THE ARTICLE AS IT STATES YOU ALSO HAVE TO HAVE THE GENE FOR THE MARKERS, and if you don’t (which obviously you don’t) then that would explain why you don’t get bitten. Please don’t try to make points if you can’t even understand the article to begin with. Ugh.
Priscilla, July 31, 2011 at 2:05 pmHi, not sure what blood type I am but my girlfriend gets bitten to Hel and I have never been bitten EVER, we sleep in the same room, bed, tent what ever, I have just watched a mosquito land on me and furiously try to bite me, then it gave up. Maybe it’s nothing to do with blood type bit skin type as a don’t have any mark what so ever, I guess I’m just lucky, sorry guys.
Garrick, August 2, 2011 at 1:50 pmAnd also wouldn’t the mosquito have to bite you to find out what blood type you were, if you didn’t taste nice wouldn’t you still have a lump from the bite, makes me think it’s about skin type more than smell and blood type as one tried it’s best on me and I didn’t have a mark what so ever. But what do I know, I’m just a plumber.
Garrick, August 2, 2011 at 2:34 pmthe reason cause of mosquitoes biting us not only related with blood group… please read the article fully again… body temperature, carbon dioxide, blood group o… this is extra information i get from other articles Mosquitoes are attracted to dark colours, not only black, because dark colours absorb heat and lighter colours tend to reflect heat. Since mosquitoes have sophisticated and highly sensitive heat sensors, they tend to be more attracted to victims dressed in darker clothes, where there is more heat.
Bob, a fisherman, takes one vitamin B-1 tablet a day
April through October . He said it works. He was right.
Hasn’t had a mosquito bite in 33 years. Try it.
Every one he has talked into trying it works on them.
Vitamin B-1( Thiamin Hydrochloride 100 mg.)
If you eat bananas,
the mosquitoes like you, – something about the banana oil
as your body processes it.
Stop eating bananas for the summer and the mosquitoes
will be much less interested.
This is going to floor you, but one of the best
insect repellents someone found (who is in the woods
every day), is Vick’s Vaporub.
Plant marigolds around the yard, the flowers give off
a smell that bugs do not like,
so plant some in that garden also to help ward
off bugs without using insecticides.
“Tough guy” Marines who spend a great deal of time
LAWA, August 8, 2011 at 5:07 am“camping out” say that the very best mosquito
repellant you can use is
Avon Skin-So-Soft bath oil mixed about
half and half with alcohol.
Why do I get a heck of a lot more bites than my twin sister, same genes, same blood type O+ ???
Teresa, August 15, 2011 at 6:29 pmIt only started this year. I had 17 bites one time. I cannot go outside any time of day/night even for 10 minutes and I get a bite. My husband gets none. I am B blood type. After reading this. I do eat a lot of sweets and have been eating more fruits and vegetables. I just started drinking tea with honey in it in May. I believe the honey and or tea might be a factor.
Annie, August 21, 2011 at 10:22 amI am B and used to alwasy get bit. I started drinking Vitamin B and I don’t. I just read it hasn’t been proven that vitamin b helps, but every time I do outdoores with mosquito infected places, it does seem to repel them. If I forget, then I seem to attract most, which other humans around actually enjoy. Maybe it is a placebo, but then my idea of being less attractive to them seems to work by itself.
Alex, August 27, 2011 at 11:32 pmTry using Listerine mouthwash. Put it in a spray bottle and spray any area that’s exposed.
howard, August 29, 2011 at 5:53 pmI do get bitten. I have watched mosquitos and other insects bite me. I am o+ but do not get bitten as often as other people. I also do not react to mosquito bites at all. I am trying to understand the cause. My daughter is 10 months old and gets bitten several times a day. I didn’t really pay attention to mosquitos until now. I have to check the house several times a day to make sure no mosquitos have gotten in. Unfortunately I live near the water and they are out like crazy.
Anne, August 30, 2011 at 1:28 amMy blood type is O. Mosquitoes love me. I swim laps every night and I wear a bathing cap and goggles and they still hover over me. If I swim back stroke they bite my forehead. I don’t spray anything on my skin and I am mostly a vegetarian. Help . It’s not fun.
Cecilia, September 3, 2011 at 4:27 pmMy husband is type O, he gives off a lot of heat, sweat smells differently, maybe toxic sweat, perhaps this is what repel insect bites for him. He is Caucasian with sensitive skin and pale. He drinks more than I but perhaps a few beers a week or daily. I hardly drink beer or other alcohol. Neither of us smoke. I’m type B blood of Asian descent. My body temperature is on the cool side. I am very sensitive to insect bites and get bit a lot. Do you think mosquitoes are attracted to the health of a person’s blood?
autum, September 13, 2011 at 2:14 pmI dont believe the blood type theory but as far as the body temperature I would agree its partly responsible.Mozzies need protein and iron from you to feed the eggs so if you have more of these in your blood then you are a more favourible choice for food.
Trevor, September 13, 2011 at 4:55 pmI have a common genetic condition called Hemochromatosis
that is hereditory and means my liver lacks the enzyme to stop my body absorbing Iron and this makes me a sitting duck everywhere I go
i dont know my blood type, but from what i’ve read here i don’t think it’s got anything to do with being bitten. I’m suffering here, in greece, covered in bites, swellings and reactions….i hate mosquitoes …make them extinct…the only positive thing is i now know i’m not alone in this hell…oh and of course i’ve tried everything from the foul deet sprays to citronella, you name it, garlic, b vitamins…plug in equipment…coils…and all at the same time too…i wear socks sprayed in deet and jeans and shoes and STILL get bitten on the ankles! nothing works…i want to find a way to kill them as painfully as possible.
jim, September 17, 2011 at 6:34 pmI am type A- & I get eaten ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Not sure if the type O theory is certain.
kris, September 26, 2011 at 6:11 pmI’m White Caucasian, o+ and seem to be bitten more than most.
cp, September 28, 2011 at 10:11 amIt various with where I am however- in Delhi I bought a local repellant , Odomos, which worked a treat. Avon skin-so-soft and/or Deet worked v well for me in Tanzania and Rwanda, but not in Malaysia and Singapore…
Pesky mozzies see me as a mobile buffet! I’ve just had a family holiday in Italy and I was the only one out of 5 of us who got bitten even though I was plastered in repellant. Out of about 25 bites maybe 3 or 4 came up in huge 3 inch round lumps. The rest are like large blisters. I look like I have a nasty disease! Rather oddly, my 15yo niece had a mozzie land on her arm, it bit her then dropped dead!! I may donate her to medical research on behalf of my fellow sufferers. I am type B- and have slow clotting blood (I am described at the blood bank as ‘a persistant bleeder’!?!?). I’m a moderate drinker and have a average body temp of about 98.2. I feel the heat a lot more than the rest of my family, so maybe body temp is a factor.
Michelle, September 30, 2011 at 12:24 pmAnyone else notice a good portion of the idiots who made claims of “well, I’m an O and never get bit” or “my family is this, and always get bit” — seemed to all miss a KEY POINT of the article. It’s not ONLY whether you’re an O or an A, but is also effected by if you are a SECRETER or not!!! If you don’t secrete your blood-type through your skin and breath, then at least in those cases, it’s not your blood-type attracting the mosquitoes! (Scientists can be so silly sometimes — in the cases of those who are non-secreter who aren’t getting bit, are they possibly putting out another ‘smell’ or signal (like temp?) that is attracting them?) You can find out if you are a secreter with a very simple test that swabs your spit.
I find the whole conversation fascinating. I have a room mate who follows Dr. Dadamo’s “Blood Type” diet. It makes a lot of sense if you figure man and mosquitoes would have developed along the same evolutionary paths — as part of predator/prey. Those with the younger blood-types who don’t secret may have found an evolutionary way to reduce bites and the infections the biters carry.
Rebecca, October 10, 2011 at 2:51 amwell, i wish someone would find a cure before i get some deadly disease or something! This whole topic is fascinating- and by the way whoever made this website…it’s embarrising how you put a crane fly on here, however, i think i am AB possitive and i get bit ALL THE TIME! And not only do i get around 10-12- or more! I get them swollen sometimes too( and i mean huge ) Questions…i would like to know is the mosquito prehistoricly old? has it evolved? AND what’s the best reppelant you can recommend for me??? Note: i am a runner, cold hands, and active person:) TRUST ME DOC! I NEED HELP!
alexandra nockengost, October 10, 2011 at 7:50 pmI am B+ and mosquitos prefer me over my husband who is type O and rarely gets bitten. I saturate myself with OFF, reapply it frequently, and still get bit. This has puzzled me for years. It make me feel alot better knowing that scientist are just as puzzled as me.
Amber Million, October 17, 2011 at 4:30 pmIt´s end of October in Germany, we´ve had the first frost and I´m still sleeping under a mosquito net, because the suckers will find and bite eyelids, temples, cheekbones and fingers exposed under the blankets. I´m B+, my husband is A+ and they ignore him completely. We eat the same diet and are both fair skinned. My brother´s family uses my nephew as mosquito repellant, when he´s around they don´t get bitten.
I have noticed that bathing the bites in Lugol´s iodine solution reduces the swelling immediately and keeps the itching at bay for 8 to 12 hours, when I reapply the iodine. No more welts and no more bleeding sores for me, and the bites fade away within 48 hours, but I wish I could repel them like my husband.
My mother always used to be plagued by mosquitoes until this year, when for some reason after 85 years of being bitten, she seems immune.
Thanks to all who posted remedies. By the way, the Lugol´s stops acne in its tracks, too.
Anita, October 25, 2011 at 4:19 pmLet me throw a monkey wrench into the blood type theory. When I was a kid I was bitten mercilessly. The older I got, the less I seemed to attract mosquitoes. While to the best of my knowledge my blood type hasn’t changed, I no longer get bitten. They will sometimes land on me, but rarely bite, and when, on the off chance, they do, I don’t get the itchy welts from them. I always like to say my body built up a tolerance, or started creating some repelling scent or maybe it was the change in hormones that come with age. Any ideas?
vickie, November 21, 2011 at 12:41 pmI am B+ and I about everyday get at least 7 mosquitoes bites each day at home. My mum and bro is O and my dad is B+. And i am the only one get bitten by mosquitoes everyday that I’m bitten by mosquitoes.
Milo, January 6, 2012 at 5:13 amI’m a B-, and so is my friend. We both always get a tremendous amount of mosquito bites all the time, and no one else gets bitten but us…
Katie, January 7, 2012 at 9:43 pmSo isn’t it B- that attracts mosquitoes more???
I managed to get 68 bites on my legs over the course of a 3 hour period! Most people only got a few or even none! Not sure what my blood type is, but nevertheless I’m sure I wasn’t the only person out of the bunch of 40 people with my type.
Corinne, January 13, 2012 at 3:17 amCOULD THERE BE A RELATIONSHIP OF THE BITES AND THE RHESUS FACTOR?
SIRM, January 31, 2012 at 7:50 amWell I am an AB- blood type and even when with people who are O blood type I am ALWAYS the first to get bitten and also have local reactions to the bites.
Phee, February 4, 2012 at 7:43 pmI wonder as to why the size of the mosquito bite varies.
curious, February 20, 2012 at 1:56 amDoes it depend on the species of the mosquito or is it the amount of time it spends sucking on you’re blood?
The illustration is not a biting(female)mosquito, if it’s a mosquito at all; it looks like a crane fly to me.
ccrow, March 1, 2012 at 8:47 amMy husband and I are both O+; bugs like him a whole lot more than they like me.
I have O+ blood and rarely get bitten, while my mom & sister (both A+), get eaten alive!
Lisa, March 13, 2012 at 7:15 pmBoth my wife and I are A+. She never gets bitten, whereas I am every mosquito’s favourite – so kiss the blood type theory goodbye! Attraction could have something to do with temperature, but they seem to find me even when I am on not hot and sweaty. So more likely the “fatal attraction” is associated with chemical markers (odours) emitted by the body – confirmed by some recent website articles.
Cees, March 31, 2012 at 6:01 pmGive me evidence and repeatable tests.
Evidence, April 10, 2012 at 11:10 pmI’m A Negative blood type, I’m allergic to mosquito bites, the first time I went camping I was rushed to the ER and the people thought my parents beat me, I’ve had my eyes swell shut. All starting from when I can remember, I don’t think it is specific to RH or blood type, they just like blood, certain smells and colors. Some moreso then others.
katie, April 22, 2012 at 1:32 amDAMNNNN….!!!i am related to o+ but i was always bitten by mosquitoes
sravya, April 22, 2012 at 5:37 amI live in Florida, but I used to get bitten a lot when I lived in New York also (but not as much). Type 0 blood. I get bitten a lot in my car. Almost all of the bites are on my right foot — the one I use on the gas peddle. Perhaps there is something to idea that they bite you where/when you can’t defend yourself. Also, around my ankles is about the only place exposed because where I teach is absolutely freezing and I wear long skirts and slacks with my arms covered all the time.
Arna, April 24, 2012 at 5:04 amI hope they resolved this issue!
im very curious because my blood type is O- and they do not bite me at all my friends and family have to go out wearing the bug spray in our mosquito infested florid back yards and i never have to and never get bitten. i used to when i was little but i cant tell you the last time i was bitten. was wondering if it could be and underlying thing and maybe not just based on blood type. we’ve tested it not one lands on me. even when i was pregnant with my daughter not one bite. can anyone help me understand why. not that i would rather them bite me just wondering why I’m different.
Debbie, April 25, 2012 at 8:52 pmMosquito bites to nurture its coming generation.For this reason they do need blood,so they do search for it . Naturally we are bitten by them, whether O or any blood type.I am now sitting with my room mate , he says he is more prone to it and he is AB+ but I am 0+ and say that I do also get bitten by it frequently.
PKA Gafoor, May 2, 2012 at 9:07 pmMosquito wants blood , so it uses many ways to find it. Here we have to search the ways to escape out of it.
I am blood Arh positive and get eaten all the time,mosquitos,black lfies u name them while my husband is type 0 and we can sit side by side on the deck..he never gets bitten but i have to go inside or be devoured..I am sick of insects.
jean leshane,canada, May 12, 2012 at 12:09 pmI am a Blood Type O and I don’t get mosquito bites at all. Does that mean I don’t give off those scent of Proteins? Is that a good thing for me for not giving off those scent of proteins or is that bad?
Jaw Wan Ling, May 13, 2012 at 8:45 ami m blood type B+, i always get bitten by mosquitoes, even i cant sleep well bcoz of mosquitoes
reshma, May 17, 2012 at 6:39 am